


snapshot

by orphan_account



Category: Rent - Larson
Genre: Character Study
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-04
Updated: 2017-12-04
Packaged: 2019-02-10 10:07:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12909690
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: how unfair is it that mark has to smile and laugh and live with the mess roger's made as if it were nothing?





	snapshot

mark spends too much time with his damn camera.

he likes to brush his fingers against the cold plastic, rolling film between his thumb and forefinger. there's nothing else that mark's good at. he's got his camera and that's it.

(although his feelings about it change. one day he'll smile, capturing mimi's dancing between drunken laughter, or the heart-warming smile of angel's that everybody longs to see again. another day he'll stare accusingly at the camera from the other side of the room, swearing it a witch that won't leave him alone.)

other than his camera, he has nothing. his friends (family) are falling from his clenched fingers. angel's long gone, all that's left is a coat that collins refuses to throw out and a framed image decorated in glitter and paint, as if to be a symbol of angel's life. mimi is getting worse, he can tell. she bumbles around their loft and refuses help, even though her panic is like a flame, hands shaking and listless eyes fearing the inevitable. collins and roger aren't far behind. it sinks mark's heart into his stomach.

(roger doesn't like to talk about any of it, though. maybe he's trying to be strong for mimi, or maybe he's remembering april – mark can't tell. what he does know is that roger is far sturdier than mark will ever be.)

he receives postcards from roger.

(roger's run out the door, out of town to sunny santa fe, no baggage, no baggage, goodbye love, goodbye love, goodbye love.)

it's a difficult time for mark, picking up the pieces that roger left behind, placing the postcards on the table next to his bed. in santa fe, squatting on someone's couch, new job, new couch, missing you (missing me?). roger's hurt mark. how unfair is it that mark has to smile and laugh and live with the mess roger's made as if it were nothing?

and then he comes back.

there's a hesitant pause from mark as questions run through his head

(why did you leave me, why did you come back, i'm sorry, i'm so damn sorry, i missed you so, so much roger you don't even know)

but he says nothing. and then he steps forward, hugs roger, burying his face in roger's chest. no words are spoken, but they know exactly what to say.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Crossposted from fanfiction.net
> 
> .
> 
> https://m.fanfiction.net/u/10029365/mahreeps  
> https://mahreeps.tumblr.com


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